It’s Phi-day again!
Phi has let us off lightly today – we found this rather easier than we have come to expect from our regular Friday setter.
We had to check the definition at 21ac – a new sort of harmonica for us! Everything else fell into place fairly quickly, and then we spent some time looking for a theme – to no avail! Any thoughts out there?
FLIGHT (escape) round (‘in which’) I (one) R (runs) ST (street)
O (nothing) in VID (video)
An anagram (‘besotted’) of MAC SWOONS round T (first letter or ‘bit’ of tottie)
A reversal of I (one) UTE (Aussie truck)
EVE (‘first example of mother’) round or ‘catching’ A D (daughter)
IN (popular) SIDE (group) OUT (not selected)
CAR (vehicle) L (left) in SET (position)
S (small) ICE (reserve) round or ‘receiving’ first three letters or 75% of LENd (grant)
NIGH (nearly) TIE (bondage item)
FREES (delivers) I (one) A
H (hot) + an anagram (‘cooked’) of MACARONI
A reversal (‘reflected’) of AN ERA (a good many years)
Hidden (‘only some’) and reversed (‘rejected’) in nOT EVeryone
An anagram (‘treated’) of CUT FINGER + E (first letter or ‘minimum’ of effort)
M (millions) in CAP (better)
WELL IN (very popular) G (government) TON (people of fashion)
FOSTERS (promotes) ON (practicable)
R I O (first or ‘initial’ letters of red is odd) JA (‘certainly’ – ‘yes’ in German, as a Riesling grower might be)
An anagram (‘disrupted’) of ON SATELLITES
I (one) + a reversal (‘rising’) of SIN (crime) in ROT (corruption)
HEAR (pick up) S E S (last or ‘ultimate’ letters of trucks are lorries)
OUTGOING (extravert) S (special)
DR (doctor) IF (provided) T (last or ‘end’ letter of patient)
A clue-as-definition: E (drug) in ADULT (grown-up) RATION (serving)
An anagram (‘confusing’) of TO A GIRL + HM (His Majesty – the King)
A reversal (‘rising’) of NILE (river) round or ‘restricting’ A LAME (feeble)
EPIC (‘big film’) + N (new) in E E (middle letters of week)
FRACAs (uproar) missing the last letter (‘a lot of’) round T (first letter or ‘source’ of this) + L (line)
H (hard) AVOCado (green fruit) without ‘ado’ (trouble)
A reversal (‘up’) of PURE (clean) + T (time)
Funny, 3d had me musing What are those funky self-similar images called, and then there they were at 20d. Agree, BandJ, a pleasant stroll, thanks all.
And a flower that’s actually a plant!
I needed to come here for the HARMONICA, even initial googling shed no light.
Thank you Phi and B&J
The glass HARMONICA was new to me as well. I had Darlington for WELLINGTON until I realized it had an extra “g”. The city made me wonder about the eponymous burger contest, but there didn’t seem to be many obvious candidates and ADULTERATION would definitely be eschewed.
Looks like HARMONICA is the one we all had to look up. That aside, I’d agree this was quite an approachable Phi. FIRST LIGHT, SCARLET, NIGHTIE, WELLINGTON, RIOJA, EL ALEMEIN and HAVOC all earned ticks from me.
Thanks both
I actually knew of the glass harmonica because I saw a reference to it somewhere a few weeks ago and looked it up then. I’m only surprised I remembered it today.
Certainly easier than the average Phi puzzle this week but no less elegant for that. I hadn’t heard of a glass harmonica, either – what an interesting backstory to it.
Mozart has composed work to be performed on a glass harmonica.
Shortly after the burger festival comes the World of Wearable Art show – a collection of extravagant clothing. This year’s winners are here: https://www.worldofwearableart.com/content-hub/2025-winners and you’ll see a few of the grid entries if you scroll down.
Saint-Saens specified the glass harmonica for his Carnival of the Animals though it tends to be replaced in performance. Mozart’s performer of choice was Franz Mesmer who became famous in quite another field.
Inventing the glass harmonica is on the long and eclectic list of accomplishments of Ben Franklin, so it’s probably (slightly) more familiar in the US than the UK.
Some years ago I saw a production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor which used a glass harmonica. It had been written for one but before the premier, the performer had a falling out with the management and it was not used. I see from Wikipedia that George Benjamin uses one in Written on Skin, which I have seen, but I don’t remember it and I don’t get on with his music. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one used in Carnival of Animals.
Well we never!! Thanks to Phi for dropping by with the explanation. We now know why we hadn’t a chance of figuring it out!
I recall a scene in Pynchon’s Mason and Dixon featuring Franklin’s glass ‘armonica. Worth a read.